An astounding book!!!! And I discovered that the Sekret Machines franchise includes a number of works in the planning stages. The book I read is a novel titled, Book 1: Chasing Shadows, by Tom DeLonge and A.J. Hartley.

This is a sic-fi novel of the highest level! It is well written and well conceived. Part of this expert conception is no doubt attributable to the fact that it is based on fact. Tom DeLonge had an experience where he proverbially happened to be in the right place at the right time. He gained access to insider information about the secret space program (SSP) of the USA. So the novel is based on real events. A series of events, really. And because they are based on real events, they sound convincing. These aren’t stories emerging merely from the mind of an author holed up in his basement office pecking away at his keyboard. These things really happened. The authors merely have to flesh them out.

The format of the book is to follow about four main characters. As it jumps back and forth between them, I had to get used to paying attention to who was being talked about, what the time frames were, what locations they were in. It took me a couple chapters to get used to this format, but once in, I was hooked!!! I read this 680 page book in two days straight! I had not done this type of concentrated reading for years and years! Admittedly the type-face is quite widely spaced, and the pages are not nearly as large as many books. So the pages flip quickly! Please do not allow your initial shock of the size of the book to put you off. It will reward you if you are brave enough to enter its pages!

I will not spoil the contents for anyone interested enough to track this book down and read it. It certainly is worth doing that, but I will warn you it may take some effort to get your hands on a copy. My local city library did not have a copy; I had to get it through in interlibrary loan. (I have submitted a request to my library to purchase a copy, as everyone should be reading this story!)

But a general overview is that the story deals with details of the US SSP over the years. The time span goes back to WWII years, up into the present. The story gives snippets of interactions of the US military/intelligence agencies with extra-terrestrial beings, and mostly with the reverse-engineering of alien technology. There are also scenes of corporate interests in the SSP. There are stories of how the ruling elite try to keep a cover on these stories, how they attempt to keep their hold on secret power and technology. All of this makes for an extremely page-turning thriller!

Following up on the publication, in 2016, of this first in a proposed trilogy of novels, will be non-fiction accounts covering the same material, but in a more factual, complete treatment. The non-fiction series is titled, Sekret Machines: God, Man and War. The first book will be, Sekret Machines: God. It is expected out this spring, the spring of 2017. I can hardly wait! As I also eagerly anticipate the publication of the second novel in the Sekret Machines series. More information can be found on the website: tothestars.media. (Personally I did not find the website particularly helpful, but it is interesting to visit.)

But seek out the book! You will not be sorry!